Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried landed in the United States on Dec. 21. And, at least till the end of his court cases, he will live with his parents in Palo Alto, California. A bail was granted to SBF on the conditions of a $250 million bond, home detention, location monitoring and the surrender of his passport. His parents secured his bail with the equity in their house. Some Twitter users found this development either amusing or suspicious. One of the key witnesses in the ongoing FTX investigation, former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison, would have to pay a thousand …

For most crypto ecosystems, being compliant with federal sanctions have a negative impact on its global reach. However, when it comes to Ethereum, investors have significant power to decide the degree of compliance the ecosystem obeys. Nearly 60% of all post-Merge Ethereum blocks comply with the United States sanctions put forth by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). While the crypto community stands against this transformation, many fail to realize their own contribution to helping Ethereum attain total OFAC compliance. One of the biggest factors harming Ethereum's credible neutrality is the use of censoring MEV relays by crypto ecosystems …

2022 will surely be remembered as a year of crypto discontent — one when the price of Bitcoin crashed three times, many large companies went bankrupt and the industry experienced a series of significant lay-offs. However, it was a crucial year for crypto regulation worldwide. Although some regulatory developments are worrisome in terms of their tighter stance on digital assets, their effect could help the industry to mature in the long run. Looking at the significant regulatory events of 2022 might fuel one’s optimism for the future. The controversial policy to restrict proof-of-work (PoW) mining was supported in New York, …

The ongoing legal proceedings around former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) took a new turn as District Judge Ronnie Abrams withdrew her participation from the case. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York rescued itself from the FTX case after revealing that a law firm — which employs Abrams’ husband as a partner — had advised the crypto exchange in 2021. In a Dec. 23 filing, Judge Abrams revealed that her husband, Greg Andres, is a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, a law firm where he has been employed since June 2019. Additionally, it …

The United States Federal Election Commission (FEC) has issued an advisory opinion stating DataVault Holdings may use nonfungible tokens for fundraising efforts. In a Dec. 15 notice, the FEC said it was “permissible” for DataVault holdings to send nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, to political campaign contributors without violating rules on corporate contributions. According to the election agency, DataVault will receive “reasonable compensation” for each NFT issued to contributors, as well as track all tokens issued for its own records. “The Commission concludes that DataVault’s proposals to provide political committees with NFTs on the same terms that it regularly offers its …

Dan Berkovitz, general counsel for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, said he will be leaving the agency after more than a year. In a Dec. 22 announcement, the SEC said Berkovitz will depart on Jan. 31. A former commissioner with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Berkovitz joined the agency in November 2021. At the time, he said he planned to work with SEC chair Gary Gensler on a “regulatory agenda that will enhance investor protection.” "After thirty-four years of public service, it is time for me to pursue new and different challenges and opportunities," said Berkovitz. It's unclear …

While 2022 has been a year to forget for most crypto investors, the daunting task of filing crypto tax returns before the end of December remains. Many investors worry about unrealized losses on their crypto portfolio, while a failure to report crypto assets and transactions on tax returns could land North American investors into hot water with the IRS. To aid in filing your crypto taxes, cryptocurrency portfolio tracking and tax platform Accointing by Glassnode offers an easy solution to instantly import and review all crypto transactions and fill your crypto taxes in just a couple of clicks. What is …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have hit former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison and former FTX co-founder Gary Wang with fresh fraud charges. The new charges from the SEC and CFTC come as the pair plead guilty to federal fraud charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier on Dec. 22. SEC states that Ellison and Wang were charged for their role in the "multiyear scheme to defraud equity investors in FTX,” with the SEC also investigating whether other securities laws were violated as well. The SEC alleges …

Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, who has been in the custody of Bahamian authorities, faces extradition to the United States following a hearing. According to reports, Bankman-Fried appeared in a hearing of The Bahamas Magistrate Court on Dec. 21 — the third since his arrest — where he waived his right to a formal extradition process that could have taken weeks. Officials from the U.S. Embassy, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service were reportedly in attendance to facilitate Bankman-Fried’s handover, to which he had first signed papers on Dec. 20. Reuters reported that SBF's legal team said the …

From Jan. 1, 2023, the term “virtual currency” will take its place in the money transmission regulations of Alaska. It will oblige the companies dealing with digital currencies to obtain a money transmission license in the state. As reported by the law firm Cooley on Dec. 19, the state of Alaska amended its money transmission regulations to include the definition of “virtual currency.” According to the amendment to the local Administrative Code, adopted by the Division of Banking and Securities (DBS), the virtual currency is: “[A] digital representation of value that is used as a medium of exchange, unit of …

Just days after creditors offered to help Core Scientific — a Bitcoin (BTC) mining company — avoid possible bankruptcy, reports emerged confirming the business’ inevitable fate. Core Scientific reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas owing to falling revenue and BTC prices. On Dec. 14, Financial services platform B. Riley offered to finance Core Scientific with $72 million — $42 million with zero contingencies and $32 million with conditions — to retain the value for stakeholders. The decision was made after Core’s valuation fell from $4.3 billion in July 2021 to $78 million at the time of reporting. …

Sam Bankman-Fried, the jailed founder of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange has reportedly signed papers on Dec. 20 waiving his extradition hearing in the Bahamasand see him flown to the United States to face multiple criminal charges. A hearing in the Bahamas Supreme Court was set for Dec. 21 regarding the matter. Bankman-Fried reportedly wanted to see the indictment against him before he agreed to extradition to the U.S. and was expected to drop his extradition fight according to reports on Dec. 19. ABC News first reported the development on Dec. 20 citing the Bahamas acting commissioner of corrections Doan Cleare. …